Dependence on private healthcare system is highest in Telangana

HYDERABAD: As the issue of private hospitals charging extravagantly to treat COVID-19 patients has come to surface again, a look at the data by National Sample Survey Organisation reveals that reliance on the private healthcare system is the highest in Telangana compared to other states in the country.

Around 78 per cent of all hospitalisations in a year take place in private hospitals in Telangana, as per the latest NSSO data on health collected during the 75th round of survey. The number is much higher in urban areas at 81.7 per cent as against 75.1 per cent recorded in the rural areas.

Speaking on the various ways how the reliance on private hospitals can be brought don in the state, Indian Medical Association(IMA)-Telangana, vice-president, Dr Sanjeev Singh Yadav, said, "The government's primary and secondary healthcare system must be strengthened to ensure definitive diagnosis so that people are not forced to go to tertiary care hospitals for every ailment as well as a government medical college must be developed in every district headquarters."

Simple calculations based on the NSSO data reveal that people of Telangana spend a total of around Rs 1,900 crore in a year in private hospitals. While around 6.29 lakh cases of hospitalisations take place in a year in Telangana's private hospitals, the average amount a person spends on hospitalisation in the State is Rs 30,336.

These figures refer to the spending only on hospitalisations and not on outpatient services. Also, the NSSO provides separate data on the hospitalisations required for childbirth. According to the data, in a year people in Telangana spend around Rs 676 crore on hospitalisation for childbirth in private hospitals.

The NSSO data also provides the break-up of hospital expenses incurred for treatment during stay at a hospital, according to which only 13.7 per cent of the charges go towards medicines.

Of the rest, around 25.7 per cent goes towards the doctor's or surgeon's fees, which is second highest among all states after Tripura's 26.7 per cent. The NSSO data also shows that around 16 per cent of hospitalisations in Telangana are paid for by borrowing money from various sources, which is the fifth highest among all states.